1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electric connection box and more particularly to an electric connection box arranging a plurality of vertical bus bars in parallel inside a case, in which the vertical bus bars are electrically preferably connected to each other. The present application claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2002-117284 filed Apr. 19, 2002.
2. Description of Related Art
The present applicant proposed an electric connection box disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-145231. As shown in FIG. 7, vertical bus bars 1 are accommodated in parallel upright in a plurality of vertical bus bar accommodation grooves 2a arranged in parallel in a case 2.
Male terminals 1b are formed to project at required intervals on one side of each vertical bus bar 1. Pressure-welding tabs 1a each having a pressure-welding slot 1a-1 are formed to project at required intervals on the other side of each vertical bus bar 1. The vertical bus bars 1 are used by cutting unnecessary portions thereof.
Electric wires w are connected by pressure welding to the pressure-welding tabs 1a arranged in parallel to electrically connect the adjacent vertical bus bars 1 to each other. However, in the above-described electric connection box, the electric wires w are required to electrically connect the adjacent vertical bus bars 1 to each other. Therefore, the electric connection box necessitates the number of component parts to be increased.
Further the electric wires w are connected by pressure welding to the pressure-welding slots 1a-1 of the pressure-welding tabs 1a. Thus, equipment and a process for connecting the electric wires w to the pressure-welding tabs 1a are required. Consequently, the manufacturing cost of the electric connection box is high.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to connect vertical bus bars to each other without using electric wires to thereby decrease the number of component parts and manufacturing processes.
To achieve the object, according to the present invention, there is provided an electric connection box having a circuit formed inside a case (upper case) by arranging vertical bus bars in parallel inside the case. Terminals project from one side of each of the vertical bus bars. Pressure welding tabs each having a pressure-welding slot and pressure-welding pieces project from the other side of each of the vertical bus bars, with the pressure welding tabs and the pressure-welding pieces vertical to a longitudinal direction of the vertical bus bars. The vertical bus bars are arranged in parallel, and the pressure-welding piece of the vertical bus bar is connected by pressure welding to the pressure-welding slot of the pressure-welding tab.
The above-described construction eliminates the need for use of electric wires in connecting the vertical bus bars arranged in parallel. The pressure-welding piece of one vertical bus bar is connected to the pressure-welding slot of the other vertical bus bar by pressure welding. It is possible to decrease the number of component parts thereby.
The vertical bus bars are arranged in parallel, and the pressure-welding piece is connected by pressure welding to the pressure-welding slot. This construction eliminates the need for a pressure-welding operation of connecting electric wires to the pressure-welding tab, unlike the conventional art. Therefore, it is possible to decrease the number of manufacturing processes and eliminate the need for using an apparatus for connecting the electric wires to the pressure-welding tab.
It is preferable that the pressure welding tabs and the pressure-welding pieces project alternately from the upper or lower side of each of the vertical bus bars, with the pressure welding tabs and the pressure-welding pieces spaced at required intervals. It is also preferable that the terminals, to be connected to the external circuit, project from the upper or lower side of each of the vertical bus bars at required intervals.
It is preferable that the length of each vertical bus bar, in a longitudinal direction thereof, is divided into a plurality of sections at required positions thereof, according to a circuit construction. That is, manufacture of the vertical bus bars includes the pressure-welding tabs and the pressure-welding pieces formed alternately thereon. In accommodating the vertical bus bars in the electric connection box, each of the vertical bus bars is divided into a plurality of sections at required positions in conformity to a specification of a circuit to be formed so that each of the vertical bus bars has a desired configuration. It is possible to decrease the number of types of the vertical bus bar, thereby.
Such a design easily facilitates alteration of the construction of the circuit of the electric connection box by merely changing the dividing position of each of the vertical bus bars or the pressure-welding position thereof.